


Shipwreck

by AoifeLaufeyson



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Consensual Underage Sex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Shipwrecks, Survival, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wilderness Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-06-10 01:18:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15280401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoifeLaufeyson/pseuds/AoifeLaufeyson
Summary: This is my first ever fic, and I'm very excited about it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying the writing of it. I'd love to hear your comments, however, I want to remind you to note the archive warning and tags. This is a Starker fic with a 16-year-old Peter. If you don't like it, then please just move on. Thank you scarletmanuka, for beta-ing for me!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fic, and I'm very excited about it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm enjoying the writing of it. I'd love to hear your comments, however, I want to remind you to note the archive warning and tags. This is a Starker fic with a 16-year-old Peter. If you don't like it, then please just move on. Thank you scarletmanuka, for beta-ing for me!

“MR. STARK!” 

Peter’s voice rose above the sound of the storm as a wave crashed over the middle of the ship. He panicked as he felt his feet wash out from under him. He flung out his arm, wrist moving just so to throw a web out and lash himself to the mast. Except he wasn’t in his suit and there were no web shooters strapped to his wrists. He felt his back brush over something narrow and hard, and tried to grab it with his other hand. But in this case, enhanced strength was no match for fear and panic and confusion, and before he could say or do anything else, Peter Parker was over the rail and lost to the sea and the storm. He felt his head break out of the water long enough to open his mouth to scream, or breathe, or cry, but another wave crashed over him and all he felt was the burn of salt water in his throat as he faded into blackness.

“PETER!”

Tony’s voice was a deep roar compared to Peter’s high wail, but no less full of fear. He saw the wave fall over the ship from where he stood out of reach on the raised aft deck. He watched in frozen horror as Peter tried to save himself by throwing a web that would never come. His heart stopped as he watched Peter disappear over the rail and into the sea below. Exploding into the action, he shouted for FRIDAY to send a suit, but if the AI replied, he never heard it, and he certainly didn’t wait. 

Tony vaulted over the railing down to the lower deck, not wasting time on the steps. He reached the place where he saw Peter vanish and searched the water below, desperately looking for any sign of the teen. There was nothing but the rise and fall of storm-blackened water and Tony felt his heart breaking. He heard a high, pain-filled sound but couldn’t recognize it as his own voice. Thunder crashed around him, startling him and sending his heart racing even harder than before. Simultaneously, lightning struck the mainmast and in the brief flash of light, Tony was able to see, for just the briefest moment, a glimpse of a small figure with his orange vest in the wake of the storm tossed ship. He was shocked at how far the ship had moved in so short a time, but he didn’t hesitate. He paid no attention to the rest of the crew racing around him, and didn’t spare time to wonder if the other kids were alright. All that mattered was Peter. Peter, who might already be dead, falling further behind the great ship with every second that Tony wasted. And so without thought or hesitation, Tony ignored all the safety protocols that he had drilled into the passengers over the week-long cruise and threw himself out, over the rail, and down into the sea.

He dove cleanly into the rough water and struggled to pull his body up quickly and use as much of his momentum as possible to get closer to Peter. He broke the surface of the water and continued to swim, back along the fading turbulence of the ships’ wake. He caught a glimpse of the orange vest and thought he still looked farther away than Tony could ever reach. But he was determined, and driven, and years of flying around in a metal suit had left him with strength and endurance he never would have possessed in another life. Nothing was going to keep him from reaching Peter and he slowly made progress against the storm. 

He almost didn’t realize it when he finally closed the distance and was able to reach out and grab hold of the teen. His eyes were stinging and swollen with salt water, and his breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to keep moving towards his goal. His arm hit something in front of him, and he jerked back, his mind racing to catalog every threat he might face in the middle of the ocean. His frantic thoughts finally slowed when he realized that the thing he’d hit was actually Peter, unconscious with his head held above the water by the self-inflating life vest they were all required to wear.

“Oh thank God! Peter! Peter? Can you hear me? C’mon, baby, I got you, I got you, it’s ok, can you hear me, Petey?” Tony continued to babble through the wind and rain as he grabbed hold of the boy and tried to assess his situation. He didn’t see any cuts or obvious injuries, which didn’t mean there weren’t any, but if there had been blood, the water had long since washed it away. He pressed his fingers against Peter’s throat searching for a pulse, but his fingers were cold and numb and if there was a pulse, he couldn’t feel it. So he pulled Peter’s head in close, holding his own breath, desperate to feel the teen exhale against his cheek. And there, finally, as he was on the verge of panic and despair, he felt it, the slightest touch of warmth on his face, followed by the faintest whistle of moving air as the boy drew in another breath. Tony might have thought he’d begun to cry in relief if it wasn’t raining so hard, but surely raindrops and sea water were the only things making his face wet. Reassured that the boy was still alive, at least for now, Tony wrapped his arms around him and just held on. There was nothing else he could do now except wait for rescue to arrive. 

Looking back the way he came, he could just make out the ship far in the distance. There was a glow lighting up the horizon, and the masts were backlit against it. His eyes were too blurred with salt water to make out any other details, but he was confident that the ship would send a lifeboat to pick up the overboard pair. He held harder to the teen in his arms and closed his eyes against the salt spray, just for a few minutes. Soon, he drifted into an exhausted and dreamless sleep, buoyed by their life vests, and unaware of the burning ship on the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, chapter 2! I'm not gonna make promises about how frequently I'll get new updates posted; I'm just gonna say that I am as excited to find out what happens next as anyone else is. Enjoy!

“Mr. Stark? Wake up, Mr. Stark, I think we're in trouble, please wake up.” Tony came back to himself slowly, through a cloud of hazy memories and confusion. Why was he in the water? They were on a cruise, to celebrate the decathlon team’s Nationals victory. The tallship didn’t rely on high tech equipment, and its simple weather radar system had malfunctioned. The storm was unexpected and caught them unprepared while Tony and Peter had worked together to fix it. Tony’s eyes flew open as clarity returned and he found himself face to face with Peter in the pale light of the morning sky. Their arms were wrapped tightly around one another, as they drifted in the now calm sea. 

“It’s ok, kid, it’s ok. We just have to hold on for a little while, they’re gonna send a boat, we’ll be…” Tony’s reassurances drifted off as he twisted his head in one direction and then the other, trying locate the ship they had fallen from. He felt a frisson of fear deep in his gut as he realized that the horizon was empty. There was no ship, no anything within sight. “Kid,” Tony’s voice was suddenly rough and strained in his own ears. He had to pull himself together, he had to be strong for the kid’s sake if they were going to get out of this. “Peter, how long have you been awake? What do you remember?”

“Um, not long, Mr. Stark. I woke you up as soon as I was awake. It was already light.” Peter twisted his head to look around them, and Tony could feel him tremble a little in his grip. His voice was clear, however, as he continued speaking. “I don't remember much, I guess. I went down into the hold for that part we needed. Some of the crates had shifted and it took me awhile to find the right box. By the time I climbed back up on deck, the storm had hit full force.” He paused then, eyes becoming distant as he tried to remember what happened next. He drew in a sharp breath then and his voice went a little higher. “I didn't see the wave, Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault, sorry, I'm sorry.” Peter's voice broke on the last word, and he tried to hide his face against the older man's shoulder, quietly sobbing in guilt and fear.

Tony held the boy closer, if that was even possible, and felt his resolve strengthen. He didn't know exactly where they were and he didn't know what would happen next, but he knew that he could not fail to protect his young protege. Even as he opened his mouth to speak that promise out loud, a dark whisper in his own mind told it it was not a promise he could keep. Tony closed his eyes and rested his head against Peter's as he gathered his thoughts and tried to find the words that would help the teen without being lies or empty promises. 

“Peter, I need you to listen to me, now,” he began, waiting to make sure he had the boy’s attention. When there was no response, Tony let go his hold with one hand and used it to lift the boy’s head off his shoulder until they were face to face once more. He spoke with more force this time. “Peter, look at me, and listen to what I'm going to say. Are you with me?” he asked. Peter nodded slowly, and Tony continued. “Ok kid, now this is important. Have I ever lied to you?” Peter looked confused over the question. He had been half expecting comfort and reassurance from his mentor and he didn't know where Tony was going with this. 

He finally answered, “No, Mr. Stark. At least I don't think so. I mean, maybe you have and you're just a really good liar and then I'd never know, I mean, you're really good at everything you do, so if you did lie, I'd probably never know it...” 

Tony actually laughed at the kid's qualification to his answer before he said, “Ok, that's enough, let me stop you there. Your first answer was correct. I have never lied to you.” Tony became serious again and took a deep breath before he continued. “I've never lied to you before, and I'm not going to start now.” Tony paused again to make sure Peter was paying attention and continued on when he found the kid's gaze fixed on his own. “We are in trouble. Probably serious trouble. You and me are alone, floating in the Pacific Ocean, with no ship or land in sight. We don't know what happened to the ship we were travelling on. We don't know if anyone is looking for us or if they’ve assumed that we're dead. As far as we know, we are on our own. Are you with me so far?” Peter just stared at Tony for a moment, his brown eyes growing wider than Tony would have thought possible. Finally, he nodded and Tony continued. “Are you scared?” he asked softly. Peter nodded again, a little quicker this time. “I am too, kid,” Tony said in reply. “But this is the really important part.” Tony focused his gaze on Peter and tightened his grip on the teen, iron replacing any fear or uncertainty that may have been in his voice before. “I am Tony Fucking Stark, and I will do everything in my power to keep us safe.” 

And with that, Peter relaxed completely, all the tension leaving his body in a rush. He huffed a small laugh and felt the corners of his lips turn up in a smile despite the seriousness of their situation. A moment later he turned a full smile towards the man he idolized and said, “In that case, Mr. Stark, I know we'll be just fine.” Tony's breath caught just a bit under the force of that smile. For a moment, he was overwhelmed by the strength of the boy's faith in him. But, that's what he was aiming for, right?


	3. Chapter 3

After a moment, Tony realized that Peter’s attention had focused on something over Tony's shoulder and his eyes seemed to go wider still. _How the fuck is that even possible_ , Tony thought, _no one's eyes should look like that_! “What is it, kid?” he asked as he twisted around to see what the boy was looking at. It took him a moment to recognize the floating bits of wood as something that could have been a part of their ship, and he felt himself blanch once he did. He pushed aside fear and thoughts of anything they could not change, and focused only on what was needed to keep Peter safe. He reached out to grab onto one of the larger planks as it came within range. “Pete, if I try to help stabilize this thing, think you could climb up and balance on it? Get a higher view and see if you can spot anything?” Peter let go of Tony completely, placed both hands on the plank, and pushed down experimentally. He was barely able to shove it under the water, so he figured it would probably support his weight. 

He grinned at Tony and said, “Sure thing, Mr. Stark. Piece of cake.” Tony barely had time to brace the plank with both hands as Peter effortlessly used the plank to push himself up out of the water. He was soon balanced easily on top of it and was looking out in the direction the plank seemed to have come from, trying to see what else was there. He froze after a moment, and his face fell, his mouth falling open in a silent “Oh no.” Then he sank down into a crouch and let his feet fall back into the water, straddling the board. He looked down at Tony and said, “I don’t think those are just dark clouds. I think it’s smoke.” 

“Fuck.” Tony swore softly under his breath and flashed a smile that came off more as a grimace at Peter. “Feeling up for a swim kid? We need to find out what happened and good or bad, that gives us a target to aim for.”

“Of course, Mr. Stark. Do you think it's the Lynx?” 

“Not gonna lie, kid; it could be. But let’s get there and see for ourselves before we make any assumptions.”

Peter's expression was grave as he watched the smoke rise and considered that his friends might be lost like he was or even worse. He at least had Mr. Stark. If anyone else had gone overboard, they could be all alone. Or, they could be dead. Peter quickly pulled his mind away from that line of thinking. He rolled off of the plank and returned a humorless grin at Tony. “Last one there's a ro…”

“Not so fast, kid,” Tony cut him off gently. “This is gonna be a marathon, not a sprint. We're probably gonna need our strength once we get there, so take it easy on my old bones, okay?” Peter snorted at the idea of Tony Stark having old anything, and began swimming.

It was not an easy swim for either of them. Tony might not be old, but he was only human, and he didn't have the adrenaline surge that had helped propel him through the water while struggling to reach Peter during the storm. And Peter might be enhanced, but he didn't really have much experience swimming, and the extended activity wore on muscles that usually didn't move in this fashion. Everytime they passed a piece of debris large enough for Peter to stand on, they paused to rest and catch their breath. Then Peter would climb up out of the water again and report on their progress. It was slow going, but they did make progress, and the sun was high in the sky before they reached the floating jumble of wood and canvas that still smoked under the clear sky. They were both tired, hungry, and thirsty but neither was willing to give voice to the anxiety and fear that they could well die if they didn't find something here that would help them. They pulled themselves around the bit of wreckage until they found a place that was shaded from the sun and stopped for a moment to rest before investigating the debris. 

Tony turned to face the floating debris and leaned his forehead against the wood, gripping an edge of the canvas to hold himself in place. He took several deep breaths, attempting to settle his racing thoughts. _God Tony, how could you let this happen? Those kids trusted you, Peter trusted you and now they’re gone and you’re probably going to watch Peter die right in front of you. Christ, why did I dive in after him? I should have waited for the suit, if I’d just waited I could have flown in, picked him up, and we’d be safe on board the ship right now. What the hell am I gonna do? I'm a mechanic, I fix things, but there’s nothing here to fix! We’re lost in the middle of the fucking Pacific ocean and Peter is gonna die and it’s all my fucking fault…_ Tony’s thoughts continued to spin threads of guilt, blame, and self-loathing. He didn’t even feel the tears running down his already salt-covered face. 

Peter let himself drift a few feet away from Tony, one hand holding onto canvas to keep himself close to the wreckage. He felt relieved at finally reaching their goal, and let his eyes move back and forth over the mess of wood and canvas, trying to find something he could recognize, or that might help them. Eventually, his thoughts began to wander as he drifted in the calm water. _Thank God Tony is here. I was so scared when the wave hit, I can’t believe I let myself get washed overboard, I was so stupid. And Tony has been magnificent. He’s known what to do every single step of the way. If it wasn’t for him, I’d already be dead. God, that storm was terrible, if I never see another thunderstorm it’ll be too soon. I wonder what all this mess is from anyway? There’s not enough for it to the Lynx, and there’s no masts or anything. Something about it looks familiar. Maybe if I climb up if I can clear the canvas away while Tony clears the ropes away below the water..._ Peter turned towards Tony and said, “Hey Mr. Stark, do you think…” He gasped when the genius turned to face him, eyes red and tears streaming down his face. “Oh my god, Tony, what’s wrong?” The boy propelled himself through the water, covering the distance between them in a flash. “What happened?” he asked, “are you hurt?” He ran his fingers through the man’s hair, then over his shoulders and down his arms, looking for an injury that would cause such distress. 

“Oh Petey, I’m so sorry!” Tony grabbed Peter with both hands and buried his face against the teen’s shoulder, unconsciously echoing the gesture the boy had made just that morning. Peter wrapped his arms around the older man and began whispering comfort in his ear.

“Shhhh. Tony, it's ok, you're ok. I'm here and we're safe.” He continued like that for a few more minutes, just letting the man hear his voice and offering what comfort he was able to give until Tony eventually lifted his head and gently pulled himself out of the young man's arms. 

“Jesus kid, what a mess I am. I’m the one who’s supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around.”

“T-Tony, I kinda think that we are gonna have to take care of each other if we're gonna survive this.” Peter blushed when he stuttered over Tony's name. Until now, it's always been _Mr. Stark_. But he meant it when he told Tony they'd have to take care of each other, and the only way Tony would let that happen would be if he stopped looking at Peter like a little kid to be protected. “Listen, I heard what you said before. I get that this-" Peter waved one hand to indicate the both of them and the floating debris that was still lightly smoldering around them. “-is a bad situation; one we might not get out of. But you said you were gonna keep us safe. And I trust you.”

“You shouldn't trust me, kid, it's my fault we're in the situation. If I had only-"

“NO!” Peter interrupted with a shout, startling himself a little. “No,” he repeated more softly. “No if only and no what if. We are in this together. So we work together. We trust each other. We save each other. And when we get back to New York, we've got a hell of a story to tell. Ok, Tony?”

Tony gaped a little at the boy's speech, taken aback again by the kid's seeming belief that Tony could do no wrong. And then he picked up on the change. The kid was calling him Tony. He hadn't said Mr. Stark once during that little pep talk. Tony smirked at the kid and admitted to himself that he was deflecting as he asked, “So it's Tony now, is it?”

Peter blushed again but refused to break eye contact. He gave a small shrug and repeated, “We are in this together.”

Tony huffed, partly amused, partly grateful, and gestured to the flotsam. “I'm tired of swimming, kid. Shall we see if there's something in this mess that will get us out of the water?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, they finally get out of the water!


	4. Chapter 4

“Yes, I thought it would be good to separate the canvas from the rest and see what’s all tangled under there. If I climb up and work from the top, maybe you untangle anything that gets caught on the bottom?” Peter had already pulled himself out of the water and started to work on freeing canvas as he finished that question. The two worked together for the better part of an hour, carefully shifting canvas, untangling lines, and occasionally shoving wooden beams into the water and out of the way. They were about twenty minutes in when Peter gave an excited shout and held up a hard plastic case about the size of a large briefcase with the letters L Y N X stenciled on the side. “Tony, look! This is one of the emergency boxes from the Lynx’s lifeboats. The captain showed them to us during the tour when first went on board.”

Tony pulled himself up out of the water to perch on the side of the floating debris and said, “Good find, kid. Crack it open and let's see what we've got.” Tony was hoping for a radio, or GPS tracker or anything electronic that he could use to jury rig a transmitter. So he was only a little disappointed when they found a half dozen bottles of water, a box of purification tablets, and a small, human-powered water desalinator. “Ah, not what I was hoping to find, kid, but it's a damn good second choice.” Tony pulled out two of the bottles and handed one to Peter.

After the stress of the night and half a day’s heavy activity under the heat of the sun, neither one had realized just how _thirsty_ they were until they had fresh water in their hands. The case had been sealed and shaded by debris and the bottled water felt cool against their skin. Together they twisted off the tops and tipped their bottles up to let the refreshing liquid pour into their mouths. In that moment, it was like nectar; by far the sweetest, most invigorating thing to ever pass their lips.

Almost in unison, each of them let out a sound of pure ecstasy as cool water slid down parched, dry throats. Tony made a low, growling moan of satisfaction as fresh water poured over his lips and tongue. It was intoxicating, better than the finest whiskey he had ever tasted. At the same time, Peter exhaled with sweet, high-pitched sigh that made him sound happy and so very young. He was overwhelmed by how something he had taken for granted 24 hours earlier could suddenly seem so precious.

As they quenched their thirst, the sounds they made began to register each other’s ears, and the man looked at Peter only to find the teen’s gaze locked on his in return. Both of them watched the other’s pupils grow a little wider as those sounds replayed in their minds. Peter blushed, his entire face going red, and quickly looked away, focused on quietly finishing his water. Tony was surprised to feel a touch of heat on his own cheeks, because whatever else might happen, Tony Stark absolutely did not blush. He quickly jerked his gaze away to look at anything but the teen sitting next to him. A moment later, Peter murmured something that Tony didn’t quite hear and moved away to poke through the debris some more, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.

_Oh my god, that sound. What the hell was that? Never heard anything that sweet in my life, Jesus what I’d give to hear that again… Oh my god, what the fuck am I doing? He’s a kid and he’s my responsibility. He’s Peter, my sweet, kind, good- Jesus fucking Christ, he’s not MY anything! This cannot be happening; that kid trusts me, he’s counting on me to get him out of this mess; I cannot fuck this up. He’d never forgive me, I’d never forgive myself, I’d lose him… FUCK! He’s not mine to lose in first place! Get it together, Stark, do not fuck this up. Pull your head out of you ass, keep your dick in your pants, and do the right thing for once in your fucking life!_

Tony’s internal monologue was interrupted by an excited shout from Peter. “M- Tony! Look! I don’t think this is just debris, I think it’s one of the lifeboats!” Tony half flinched when it sounded like the kid was gonna go back to _Mr. Stark_ , and felt a strange relief that he was still _Tony_.

“Really, kid? We should be so lucky. There’s still a lot of flotsam and jetsam, though, so let's get busy clearing this junk away. Be sure we save absolutely everything that we possibly can. Never know what might come in handy.” In the end, there weren’t quite as lucky as Tony hoped they would be, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been either. They did indeed uncover one of the Lynx’s lifeboats. This was in fact just an inflatable fishing boat with a small outboard motor. It could hold three people comfortably and six in a pinch. The shredded ropes hanging from it suggested that it had been torn away from the ship during the storm, not launched intentionally. Tony tried hard not to think about what that meant for the fate of the ship and the rest of its passengers and crew. Either they had survived or they hadn’t. Regardless, he and Peter would never know unless- no, until they returned to civilization and there was nothing they could do about it anyway. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help their situation, so Tony compartmentalized it and shoved it into the back of his mind. He could worry about the rest of them later, once Peter was safe.

All this was running through his mind as he gave the small boat a once-over. Everything seemed fine, for all that he had no practical knowledge of small craft like this, right up until he realized that there was just a little too much give under his hands in the rear part of the inflatable hull. “Uh-oh,” he said, mostly to himself, while he tried to find the hole in the boat.

“Tony?” Peter asked. “What ‘Uh-oh’?” His sharp hearing had picked up the quiet exclamation.

Tony looked up at him, hands still feeling along the surface of the small boat. “I’m pretty sure you paid more attention to the safety tour at the start of the cruise than I did, yeah? So what’s supposed to be on these boats?”

“Let me think,” Peter said, eyes losing focus as he shifted through his thoughts, going back to the lecture Captain Greene had droned through a week ago. He spoke again after just a moment, “Ok, there should be two more cases like the one with water in it- oh! And that one should have like, protein bars or something in the bottom. The other two should have GPS, compass, and radio equipment in one, and basic survival gear in the other. You know, first aid kit, fishing line, flashlight, that kind of stuff.” He broke off and grinned at the excited gleam in Tony’s eyes at the mention of the electronic gear. Then he frowned and said, “Don’t get too excited, Tony. We haven’t actually found _that_ box yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, kid, I get it. Counting chickens, and all. What else should we be looking for?” Tony rubbed his hand across his face, and looked back at Peter, trying to bring his focus back to what was actually in front of him rather that what he wished for.

“Oh, right, um… Oh yeah, there should be a full gas can for the outboard, 6 oars, 6 life vests and a repair kit for the inflatable hull.” Peter recited these items like he were ticking off a list.

“Ok then, so far, we’ve only found one of the cases, but the rest would really come in handy if we can turn them up. We kinda especially need the repair kit, cause at least one section of the hull has been punctured and is losing air.”

“Right. I think the Captain said the repair kit is usually stowed up the front in the very front in a little compartment on the nose. That end is still tangled in canvas, so maybe let’s finish working the boat clear from the rest of the wreckage and see if the repair kit is still where it’s supposed to be?”

Tony just nods his agreement and the two returned to the work of clearing and separating the debris, keeping a sharp eye out for another survival case, or any other object or material that might come in handy. In the end, they had to rely on Peter’s enhanced strength to get enough give in the last bit of canvas to allow them to pull if off the little boat.

“H-hey T-Tony?” Tony looked up sharply because Peter’s voice was suddenly very small and soft and fragile.

“What’s wrong, baby boy?” He immediately kicked himself both for the use of the endearment, and because they’re lost at sea; it’s pretty fucking obvious what’s wrong. He carefully turned towards the boy and put his hand on Peter’s shoulder, trying to offer whatever comfort he could.

Peter held up the scrap of canvas he was holding; it had scorch marks all along the edge. His eyes were suddenly bright with unshed tears as looked up at Tony and asked, “What happened to the Lynx, do you think? Is everyone else ok? Or are they all gone?” On that last question, Peter’s voice rose into a desperate wail and he gave in to grief once more. He threw himself at Tony as he cried, clinging to the man as he sobbed his fear and frustration. And Peter Parker crying in his arms was proof again that Tony Stark did, in fact, have a heart. Because it was breaking now. Tony held the teen gently, letting him cry and alternating between whispering quiet comfort and affection into his ear and pressing soft kisses against his curls.

They couldn’t know how much time passed, with Peter crying and Tony soothing him, but eventually, the tears slowed and stopped and Peter pulled away. “Sorry,” he said, his voice just a whisper over the sound of the sea.

“Hey, no need for ‘sorry’, baby boy. We’re in this together, right? Next time, I’ll probably be the one crying, and then _you_ get to hold _me_ , you lucky duck!” Tony said this with a smirk followed by a cheesy grin, and it had the desired effect. Peter couldn’t help but giggle, and if his cheeks looked a little pinker than usual, surely that was just the sun, right? “Seriously, kid, I think the ship is ok, as ok as it can be. Look, the lifeboat and all this crap? It’s really not as bad as it looks. There are no masts or spars, nothing that looks big enough to be a major part of the hull.”

Peter looked around him a little more objectively and realized that Tony was right. “But what about all the canvas?” he asked. “Did they just lose the sails? How can that happen?”

Tony had noticed something earlier without remarking on it, but now he reached for an edge of the canvas and ran his hands along it until he found a grommet with the rigging line still attached. He pulled that through the water until he reached the cut end. He then grabbed the end of the shredded line that was still attached to the lifeboat and showed them to Peter. “Look at this, Pete. The rigging on the sail was cut deliberately. After the wave hit, there was a lightning strike. If it hit the mast and the sail caught fire, they might have cut the sail loose to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the ship. Then they just had to ride out the storm until they could put a new sail in place. They store extra canvas just for that reason.”

Peter considered this for a while and finally nodded to himself, new resolve showing on his face. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s find that repair kit.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. I foolishly thought that having my kid away from home would leave me with tons of extra time to write, but I was so, so wrong... Hope it's worth the wait!

In the end, they did find the repair kit, along with three oars, and one life vest. To Tony’s great disappointment, the electronics equipment case was nowhere to be found. Peter looked over the case holding water and figured out how to pop open the lid on the top of the case. Inside were a dozen protein bars, a looped bit of fishing line with a packet of metal bits, and a waterproof pouch with a piece of sandpaper and a handful of matches. Then, Peter helped Tony find the leak in the hull. It was just a tiny tear along one of the seams, but his enhanced senses made it easy to feel the slight pressure of air escaping. Tony applied the patch, while Peter unrolled the hose to the hand pump. It took a bit of work using the manual pump to inflate the hull, especially when they had been so long without food or rest. Once all that was done, they realized that the sun had begun to sink towards the horizon, so they turned their attention towards sleeping arrangements for the night. 

They discussed the logistics of constructing a raft, more for distraction than any practical purpose, and decided that the best option would be to just sleep in the bottom of the lifeboat. At 15 feet, there was more than enough room for two people to lay down in the bottom of the boat. They immediately set to work again, this time to set up a canopy over the length of the lifeboat so they would stay dry in case it rained overnight. They ripped away some sections of dry canvas that could be folded into pillows, or spread as blankets if desired. 

Once their preparations were complete, night had fallen. Well, not fallen so much as rose up from the horizon, spreading like a blanket across the skies. Tony and Peter each took one of the protein bars and a bottle of water and sat down in the bottom of the boat and silently watched the night rise as they ate. After all the stress and work of the day, Peter fell asleep where he sat and eventually, his head fell to the side, coming to rest on Tony’s shoulder. In that moment, Tony heard the quiet sigh escape him and felt the remaining tension drain out of his body. And Tony didn’t have the heart to wake him or try to make him move, so he rested his own head back against the inflatable hull, intending to keep a watch over the teen while he slept. And he did until the sound of the water lapping against the side of boat combined with the slow even rhythm of Peter’s breathing lulled him into sleep. As they slept, dark clouds massed overhead, and low thunder could be heard in the distance. 

Peter woke screaming. He couldn’t recognize where he was as his feet kicked out and his hands flailed for something familiar he could grab onto. He couldn’t remember the dream, only that it was dark, and wet, and terrifying and he wasn’t completely sure that he was even awake now, and not still trapped in the nightmare. He tried to push himself up to his feet, but hit the canopy they had erected the night before and then stumbled over one of the seats. Peter fell forward then, disoriented and landed on his hands and knees in the bottom of the little boat. With the sting of the impact - not painful, just a shock to otherwise confused senses - Peter screamed again, calling out for the one thing he could always count on. “TONYYYYY!”

Tony woke at the first sound of Peter’s screams and quickly realized he was having a nightmare. If anyone knew what that was like, it was Tony. He reached out to try and comfort the boy, calling his name to try and calm him. “Hey Pete, time to wake up, kid, it’s just a dream. C’mon Peter, it’s just me, you’re safe.” There wasn’t really enough light to see anything clearly, especially with the canvas stretched overhead, blocking out the moonlight. He sensed more than saw Peter stumble forward and fall into the center of the boat, and when the boy called out his name, Tony threw himself forward, reaching out for Peter and pulled him into his arms. 

Peter felt lost in darkness and fear. He couldn’t see and he couldn’t breathe, and all he could feel was a gripping pain in his chest. He thought he was awake, but there was nothing familiar, nothing to ground himself and pull his mind out of the nightmare. Until he felt a hand touch his arm, moving blindly in the night. Then arms wrapped around him and suddenly he was surrounded by familiar warmth. Peter could smell Tony, oil and metal and spice slowly fading under the salt tang of the ocean, and all of a sudden, the rest of his senses cleared. He could hear Tony’s voice murmuring in his ear, telling him it was alright, he was safe, Tony _had_ him. He could feel Tony’s arms wrapped tight around him, holding him together, keeping him safe, and warm, and feeling like home. Peter melted into Tony’s arms, tears still falling, but he calmed under soothing words and soft touches and the nightmare slowly faded away. 

“Hey kid, you back with me?” Tony’s voice was low and quiet, and Peter just hummed agreement and pushed his face closer against Tony’s chest. “C’mon, Pete, think you can get back to sleep?” Tony moved them around so he could help Peter lay down on one of the unused canvas pallets they had set up earlier, and Peter let himself be led. But when Tony relaxed his hold and tried to pull away from the teen, Peter refused to let go.

“”No, please. I don’t- I can’t be alone, Tony. Please don’t leave me alone.” Tony was certain that this is the worst idea in the history of bad ideas, but refusing Peter Parker turned out to be the one thing that Tony Stark cannot do. So Tony eased himself down next to the still-scared teen, wrapped his arms around him, and tried to soothe him to sleep. 

“Kid, did I ever tell how how I made DUM-E…” Tony spoke in soft, barely audible whispers, telling story after story about various inventions and lab mishaps, keeping the stories light and funny, until he felt the remaining tension drain from the kid’s body. Once he breathing was slow and steady again, Tony thought he should get up and move to his own end of the boat, but the boy felt so sweet in his arms, and maybe Tony needed a little comfort himself after the stress of the previous day, so he stayed where he was and just held on until dawn came to chase the nightmares away.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter woke slowly, then quickly jumped to his feet when he became aware of the position they were in. His face flushed red as he struggled to find his voice. “T-Tony, hi. Um, sorry, I guess it was kinda a rough night, huh? Sorry.” Tony just watched him, fighting to keep his face neutral. He absolutely did not want the boy to see how much he had enjoyed holding him through the night, nor how disappointed he was that Peter pulled away so suddenly, and certainly not how adorable Tony found his current flustered state to be. Peter grew quiet and then in a more serious tone, just said, “Thank you.” 

Tony shook his head a little and replied, “Nothing to be sorry for, kid, and no thanks necessary.” Tony held out a hand for Peter to help him to his feet. He hardly needed it, but if it gave the kid a morale boost, he'd do it every day. Once he was on his feet, Tony grabbed Peter’s arm and said, “I mean it. I’ve been there. It’s alright.” He kept his voice low and serious, trying to convey that he wasn’t just humoring the kid, and he really did understand. Peter was tense, but after a moment, he relaxed and nodded at Tony. 

“So, what do we do next? I know we were heading back to L.A., but how far did we get? How do we figure out where we are now? Are we still heading east? Or will we end up back on Hawaii? I mean, how do we even figure that out? I wasn’t really paying attention during ‘Ancient Methods of Navigation,’ you know?” Peter’s questions just kept pouring out, spurred on as much by nervous energy than any real desire to know the answers, even if some of them were pretty relevant to the situation. Tony tried to answer, but couldn’t get a word in. Finally, he retrieved one of the empty water bottles and hit Peter in the face with it. He couldn't help snickering at Peter’s offended expression when he finally fell silent. And then Peter was laughing too, and Tony decided that it was one of the sweetest sounds he’d ever heard.

_ Well fuck. It’s not like I’ve never heard him laugh before. It’s just never sounded like that before. How is this my life? I’m lost at sea and falling fucking hard for a 16-year-old. I'm dead. Doesn’t even matter if we get out of this, Pepper is gonna kill me. Well, except Peter will be fine then, so it does matter, but I’m a goner either way. Obviously, he cannot know. Do you hear me, Stark? This goes nowhere. The kid deserves better. Hell, this is probably just an infatuation due to being in a stressful situation. Yeah, right. Fuck my life. _

“...Tony?” 

Tony missed the question and scrambled to focus his thoughts. He chuckled and said, “Sorry, kid, I was just trying to figure out which question to answer.” He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the coarse, salty feel of it. And then he grimaced because he could make some educated guesses, but he had no data, and he just didn’t  _ know _ , and he wanted to reassure the kid, but he promised not to lie to him. “I guess it doesn't matter which one I answer, cause the universal answer is that I just don't know. Fuck! I never say that! But I got no info, so I can only guess. I  _ think _ we’ve been drifting west back towards Hawaii, so  _ if _ we didn't get blown too far north or south in the storm, we  _ should _ bump into Hawaii, or at least get noticed as we cross the shipping lanes. Problem is, there's an awful lot of variables that we got no control over.” Tony just looked at Peter then, silently begging the boy to understand and forgive him for not be all-knowing. 

Peter returned the look gravely and simply said, “Thank you, Tony.”

“‘Thank you, Tony’? What the fuck are you thanking me for?”

“Language, Stark,” Peter smirked in imitation of Steve Rogers, and continued more seriously, “Thank you for being honest. Two days ago, you would have lied to protect me because you think I'm just a kid.”

Tony gaped at the kid. That was the last thing he expected him to say. Finally, he snorted and said, “Ok, kid, I've hit my limit for emotional maturity. Let's focus on the more immediate problems. Think you remember enough from the past week to help me jury-rig a sail? We've got plenty of canvas, timber and rope; we should be able to work something out. What we don't have is the spare gas can for the outboard, so I don't want to use it unless it's an emergency.” 

Peter’s face lit up and his eyes sparkled at the thought of working with Tony to build something together. “Yeah! I totally got this, Tony. We’ll need timbers for both a mast and spar, and we'll probably need to work out a rudder as well. Hmm, ideally, we need a keel for stability, but I don't think we have the tools to add one to the lifeboat and maintain hull integrity, but we should be able to rig a couple pontoons that’ll serve the same purpose, maybe turn the lifeboat into a small catamaran. Well, I guess it would have to be more of a trimaran, but…”

Tony smiled fondly as he listen to Peter rattle on, spilling out everything the teen had learned about sailing and sailboats over the duration of the cruise. He paid attention to every word, and compiled the list in his head of what they would need to find and do in order to make this work. The lifeboat was small enough that he thought it could be done in a single day. That thought had him looking up at the sky, suddenly realizing that it really hadn't brightened much since he and Peter first woke. The dark clouds that had gathered overnight looked ominous, and Tony frowned up at the sky as he considered the possibility of another storm while he and Peter were alone in such a fragile craft.

Peter noticed Tony's frown and followed his gaze.  “Tony?”

“Yeah, kid?” 

“What if there's another storm?” Peter's voice was suddenly very small. 

Tony tore his gaze away from the sky and faced Peter, his voice hard as he replied, “We ride it out.” The iron in his tone allowed no doubt or dispute. “C’mon kid, we got work to do.”

And they got to work. Tony began calculations in his head based on his observations of the lifeboat to determine the size timbers they would need for mast and spar and the surface area for the canvas. He sent Peter into the water to find the right pieces of debris and it didn't take long before there was a collection of wood, rope, and canvas in, on, and floating around the small boat. Once Peter was back on board, they worked together to position the mast and lash it tight to one of the plank seats. It took some trial and error to find the best way to attach spar and sail, but they finally had all in place. 

Tony directed Peter to climb and swing around on their construction in order to test its strength. He did, and they adjusted and reinforced the lashing for the mast, and declared it ready to sail. They decided to keep things simple, and attached one of the oars to the stern to serve as a rudder. Once that was done, they spent time coiling all the rope and collecting all the canvas they hadn't used and rolled it into manageable bundles they could stow in the bottom of the lifeboat. There wasn't a great deal more canvas, maybe enough to replicate their small sail once more. There was still plenty of rope, which would be needed for the pontoons, but Tony decided they needed a break before they tackled that project. 

“Hey kid, let's take a break. I think it's time we applied our collective genius to testing the desalinator in that crate. We’re gonna need it if it takes more than a couple days to hit land.”

“Sure, Tony. Course, if it does rain, we might be able to refill the empty bottles. Shame we don't have any larger containers. Maybe we could use the crate though?”

“Maybe. We’ll worry about that if it happens” Tony sat down and watched as Peter sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the little boat and pulled out the desalinator. He snorted at the included directions which were printed entirely in something that looked like Russian. He did take note of the diagram however, and quickly identified the intake and output hoses. After testing the pump mechanism, he dropped both hoses overboard, the longer one falling into the water. He worked the pump and caught a palmful of the filtered water in his hand. He closed his eyes and blocked out the surrounding sounds as he carefully sniffed the water. His superhuman senses allowed him to detect the chemical trace and he nodded to himself. It was probably a preservative or disinfectant,  and Peter worked the pump, letting the outflow pour back into the ocean until he could no longer detect anything except the scent of pure water. Grinning up at Tony, he redirected the outflow hose into one of the empty water bottles. 

It took 6 or 7 minutes of steady pumping to fill it, and then he took a swallow, carefully tasting the water before offering it up to Tony. “Drink up,” he said, smiling brightly at the man. Peter was elated at the small victory, and if he noticed how Tony's breath caught as he accepted the bottle, then he probably assumed the man was simply relieved to know that they had a reliable source of fresh water. He and Tony both drank a couple of bottles worth, and then Peter refilled all six and stored them all back into the case along with the precious pump. 

“Alright, back to work. Let's get your pontoons put together and lashed in place.   That should give us a some stability if a storm does pick up overnight.”

Once all the work was done, and the two geniuses felt they had done as much as was possible to speed their trip back to civilization, they sat down down together for dinner, which meant another protein bar washed down with their filtered water. Tony was the first one to lay down, fidgeting around until he had as comfortable a position as could be expected. Peter refilled the water bottles, but made no move to lay down. After a while, Tony's voice came out of the growing darkness, “Pete? You ok, kid? Get some sleep, will ya.”

Peter didn't answer immediately. After a few minutes, he admitted, “I'm afraid to go to sleep.” Tony was completely still and silent, and Peter just rested his head on his knees, knowing how pathetic he sounded and hating himself for showing such weakness in front of the older man.

Tony felt like he had been kicked in the chest. His heart broke at the sadness and pain in the kid's voice. At the same time, he was amazed at the strength it took to make such an admission. Tony had never been good at admitting anything. He deflected and he hid his pain and fears behind bravado and poor life choices and he was humbled by Peter's bravery. Steeling his resolve, Tony said the only thing he could think of, “Come here.”


	7. Chapter 7

_ ‘Come here.’  _ Peter woke up with the memory of Tony's command? Request?  _ No; offer _ , he decided- at the the front of his mind.  _ Wow. What is happening? I slept with Tony, twice! Well, not, you know,  _ **_slept_ ** _ with. Just slept next to. While he was holding me. Oh. my. God. He's still holding me. And his leg is wrapped around me like an octopus. And what is- Oh God! What do I do? I don't want him to stop. This is awesome. Wow, I can't believe it. Oh no. What if he's upset when he wakes up? What if he thinks I’m annoying? He always treats me like a kid, he's gonna think he's doing something wrong. But he IS wrong about one thing- I'm NOT a kid. And I wanna wake up like this every day. Oh my God. I really do, I want to wake up like this every single day. What am I gonna do? He’ll never- especially once we get home- Ok, calm down Parker, or you're gonna panic and wake him up. Enjoy this while you can and deal with the rest later.  _ Peter forced himself to relax against Tony's sleeping form and managed to drift back into a pleasant sleep, soothed by the feeling of Tony wrapped around him. When he woke up again, Tony was sitting up, looking bright-eyed and rested, and waiting to hand Peter a water bottle. 

 

“Good morning, Sunshine, how’d you sleep? Any bad dreams?” 

 

“Um, really good, Tony. No dreams at all, I think.” Peter's ears felt warm as he thought about how he'd woken up in a dream, but that wasn't what Tony asked, and he wasn't about to ruin the man's good mood by bringing it up now. And then he blushed some more at being called ‘Sunshine’. He took a drink to give himself time to collect himself and said, “No change in the forecast, I see.” Peter waved a hand up at the dark clouds still covering the sky as far as they could see.

 

“Hmmm, no, seems not. But that direction-” Tony waved behind Peter. “-looks a tad bit less dark and menacing, and I'm gonna call that east for lack of any other reference. So let’s keep that behind us and try our hand at becoming sailors, shall we?” Tony grinned at the idea, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

 

Peter felt an answering smile form in response to Tony’s grin. He was uncertain what had brought out such playfulness in the man. He actually looked excited, and the feeling was catching. And it was reassuring. There was nothing but water and sky as far as they could see, but Peter had absolute confidence that he and Tony together could meet any challenge. “Alright, let’s do this! Um, actually, I had an idea, but...” Peter paused and suddenly a bright red flush spread up from his collar. 

 

Tony's brow rose as he wondered what the kid could possibly have thought of that would cause such a reaction and tried to encourage him. “Hey, it's fine, Pete, what was your idea?”

 

Peter looked away nervously, then took a deep breath and blurted, “Whatareyourunderwearmadeof?” 

 

“What? My- Peter, you really want to discuss my sartorial decisions right now?” Tony couldn’t help laughing just a little at the bizarre question. He had no idea where Peter was going with this, but he knew the kid well enough to know it was not a random or meaningless question.

 

Peter huffed under his breath at Tony’s laughter and finally glared up at his mentor. “Look,” he said, “we need to be able to tell what direction we’re going in, and given the relative size of our goal compared to the rest of the field, I thought it would be a good idea to be able to rely on something more specific than away from the “less dark and menacing” direction.” 

 

Tony placed a hand over his heart and widened his eyes dramatically as he stared at Peter. “I am shocked and hurt that you would doubt my precision in this matter. I’ll have you know, I am practically perfect in every way, young man.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter said, voice dripping with sarcasm, “You’re a god among men. Can we get back to the point here?” Despite his tone, Peter’s cheeks flushed with pink as he spoke those words.

 

Tony relented in teasing the boy, and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Ok, ok, sorry. What’s your plan, and what do you need my silk boxers for?” As soon as Tony said the word out loud, his brain began making connections, his eyes widened and he said, “Peter, you are a genius; turn around!”

 

Peter could see the moment that Tony understood what he was suggesting, and he smiled broadly at the praise. He blushed yet again when Tony, in his excitement, didn’t wait for for Peter to turn before dropping his pants. Peter quickly spun in place before the boxers could follow, still feeling the heat in his cheeks, and hating that Tony was affecting him this strongly. He didn’t always blush this much, did he? After a moment, he heard Tony again, soft laughter in his voice, “Ok, kid, it’s safe, you can look again. How are you planning to do this? Do me a favor, don’t destroy these in the process, yeah? I really don’t want to spend the rest of this adventure going commando.”

 

Peter turned to face Tony again and saw him holding out a loosely folded bit of silk, pants back on, with a smile on his face that was less his usual teasing smirk, and more amused or happy or _something_ that Peter couldn’t identify. It didn’t feel like Tony was laughing _at_ him though, so all in all, Peter decided he liked that smile, which of course made him blush even further. Sighing in exasperation at himself, Peter stopped trying to hide his face and finally decided that if he just stayed embarrassed and blushing, Tony might just assume he had sunburn. He didn’t think he could blush any harder as he reached for Tony’s hot rod red boxer shorts and set them aside for the moment. “Ah, could you, um where is- oh here. Could you look through this for the most likely needle?” Peter handed Tony the small package they had recovered that held fishing line, hooks, and other bits of metal and wire that Peter didn’t know the purpose of. He continued, “But first, want a drink? I’m going to have to sacrifice one of the water bottles.” 

 

He handed Tony one of the water bottles and watched while the man drank half of it before giving it back. Peter drank the rest and then went to work on the bottle. Using his fingernails and enhanced strength, Peter began to cut the bottle apart, carefully breaking it into two pieces about halfway down. He then removed the cap and placed the top half of the bottle back into the case with the others; he didn’t know if they’d be able to use it for anything, but he wasn’t about to just toss it into the ocean. Focusing his attention on the cap, he began breaking away the lip until he was left with just a small plastic disc. Once that was done, he looked up at Tony who held out a small bit of wire and was just watching him and waiting with that same odd smile on his face. Peter accepted the wire and looked it over. It was about an inch and a half long and just the right size to float in the widest part of the water bottle. Smiling his thanks at Tony, he picked up the silk underwear and went to work with the wire. Keeping one half of the wire pinched in his fingers, he began rubbing the silk material repeatedly over the other half, taking care not to catch or tear the fabric as he did. It didn’t take long, just a minute or two as he counted out a hundred strokes of silk against metal. Once it was done, it was time to test the makeshift compass. Leaning carefully over the side of the boat, he filled the water bottle cup about halfway with water and dropped the plastic disc he’d formed from the cap to float inside. He then carefully placed the magnetized bit of wire on top of the disc and held it up between Tony and himself, holding his breath as he watched anxiously to see if the wire would orient itself to point in the direction they thought north should be. The wire wavered and spun for a moment as his own movement disturbed the water, but as it settled, the disc did indeed begin to spin until the wire lined itself up to point in the expected directed. Peter careful retrieved it from the water and bent a small kink into the south end of the wire before returning it to the cup. 

 

Peter grinned up at Tony, excited with the success, and grabbed the man in a one-armed hug, carefully cradling the compass in the other. Tony froze at the contact for half a second, unnoticed by the happy teen, before he relaxed enough to return the hug, then reached up a hand to ruffle his hair. “Good job, kid” he said with that new smile that Tony himself wouldn’t have been able to quite identify if he could have seen it. Tony felt inordinately proud of the boy over this small thing. It was simplistic and not entirely reliable; something that school children do as a science experiment when they’re five, but it was invaluable in their current situation, and simple as it was, Tony hadn’t thought of it. Peter was the one who put all the pieces together in his mind, and Tony laughed to himself as he thought of the adorable look on the boy’s face when he asked about Tony’s underwear, correctly assuming that if anyone was wearing silk shorts while stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it would be Tony Stark. 

 

When the kid handed his boxers back, Tony couldn’t tell if he was blushing again, or still blushing. Tony realized that he was grinning and feeling a heat in his own face in response to kid’s reaction and quickly turned away, suddenly full of guilt and shame. He needed to control himself better than this. He asked Peter to turn around again, and once he was fully dressed again, he took a few unnecessary minutes to double check the lashing that turned the oar into a rudder, using the time to lock down his emotions and his expression. He refused to give Peter any sign of the wildly inappropriate feelings that were growing in him. 

 

Peter definitely noticed the change in the man’s attitude when he went from playful and teasing to quiet and withdrawn. He wasn’t sure what had caused it, but he figured their situation was still serious enough that there didn’t need to be any other reason. He longed to reach out and offer a hug or some kind of comfort, but sensed that it would not be well-received in that moment. So he held himself back, and quietly prepared to raise the sail while Tony double checked the rudder. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, i'm posting from my phone to comfort myself while sitting in the waiting room at the dentist, and apologize for any terrible errors I've overlooked!

There was an uneasy quiet between the two castaways as they raised the sail they had assembled from scraps and watched their little boat pick up speed. The motion made it difficult to check the compass, so periodically, they would strike the sail and let their speed drop long enough to confirm they were still pointed in the right direction, or make a correction if necessary. They ate sparingly, knowing the protein bars, unappetizing as they were, would not last much longer, and they drank as much as they needed. Thanks to the desalinator, dehydration would not be one of their problems, and it was always Peter who used the device to refill their water bottles since his senses let him confirm that the water was clean and safe to drink.

Peter tried to start up a conversation several times during the day, but Tony's answers were monosyllabic at best, and nonexistent most of the time. Being ignored started to hurt too much so Peter eventually fell silent. For a while, he kept his gaze fixed on Tony, looking for any sign that the man was ready to come up from the depression he seemed to have fallen into. But after making eye contact a time or two, Tony began to steadfastly avoid even looking in Peter's direction. And that was too much to bear, so Peter turned his back towards Tony and kept his gaze pointed forward. Peter could clearly see Tony shutting himself away, but he couldn't identify what had changed, what he had done wrong that Tony couldn't even look at him anymore. His only comfort in the moment was that the salt spray obscured any sign of the tears he shed that day. 

Tony was pretty sure that this day was the Worst Day of His Life, and he had a lot of bad days competing for that title. When he thought about the way the day started he couldn't help feeling a bittersweet warmth. Waking up with Peter soft and beautiful and still sleeping peacefully in his arms was a gift he would never forget. But the way he’s been wrapped around the boy… he felt sick to his stomach remembering now. He leg thrown over Peter, and his erection pressed up against the boy's back. He tried to tell himself that is was just natural morning wood, but he’d promised not to lie to Peter, and apparently he couldn't lie to himself either. God how he _wanted_ the boy. He was so goddamn beautiful. And he wasn’t even thinking about his face. Though damn, the kid was gorgeous to look at, all soft curls, adorable nose, and huge, brown eyes. But more than that, Peter was _good_. He made Tony want to be a better version of himself. And god, his _mind_. Peter was brilliant. Tony couldn’t think of another person with a more beautiful mind than Peter, and yes, he was including Bruce. The boy just thought differently than everyone else, and his kindness, compassion and just general goodness colored every thought he had. As Tony continued cataloging all the reasons why he loved the boy that he refused to look at, he hated himself. Because he *was* a boy. Just a kid. Sixteen years old. A literal child. 

Tony knew that he could not continue as he was going right now, refusing to answer or even look at the kid. They needed to work together and rely on each other to survive this nightmare they were trapped in, but he needed this time to gain some control over his emotions and reactions to the boy. He knew what would come when the sun went down and it was time to sleep. Peter was going to look at him with huge, scared eyes and ask Tony to keep the nightmares away again. Tony spent the day wrestling with his conscience because he _knew_ he should refuse. He should insist they sleep at opposite ends of the little boat, as far apart as possible. But he also knew that if the boy so much as whimpered in his sleep, he would be there instantly to wrap him up and protect and hold him until he felt safe again. So Tony accepted that he would give in and indulge his _dirtywrongbad_ desire in this one way, because it was something Peter needed and Tony couldn't tell him no.

Having come to some acceptance with himself, Tony finally looked at Peter and felt his heart break as took in the tense strain in the boy's posture as he kept his face pointed forward so he didn't have see Tony avoiding him. Tony couldn't bring himself to address him directly, but he had to do something. So he started to talk. He talked about the decathlon tournament, and the victory Peter's team had won. He talked about the next set of upgrades he had planned for Peter's suit and his thoughts on Peter's most recent web fluid formula. He made observations about Peter's school, and talked about people at MIT that he could introduce Peter to once he was accepted there. He didn't really know how long he rambled on, switching from topic to topic, always talking about something relevant to Peter and his interests. 

Tony was speaking so softly that it took a while before Peter registered that he was talking again. He didn't asked any questions, and he didn't stop. He just kept up a steady stream of one-sided conversation about Peter's life. Peter felt a strain he hadn't been aware of slowly drain away and he realized that Tony had passed through whatever crisis had hit him today and this was his apology. He wouldn't say anything directly, he would just keep talking around Peter's life until he was ready to join in the conversation. Peter just listened for a while, enjoying the sound of the man’s voice, until Tony mentioned something about the experiment they had left in the lab before the cruise, and Peter couldn’t help turning to ask a question about. He noted the relief in Tony’s smile and returned it. 

They continued on for the rest of the afternoon, talking and working their way back to the easy feeling of cooperation and mutual reliance they had shared before. When sun was down, and the moon was high, and it was time to get some sleep, Peter hesitated. He desperately wanted to sleep next to Tony again, but he still wasn't sure that Tony hadn't been upset with him for some reason, and he didn't want to risk being rejected. But Tony laid down, opened his arms, and looked at Peter with one elegant brow raised, waiting. Peter sank happily into the man's arms, and was asleep before he even say a word.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter and Tony woke up together to the fall of heavy raindrops on their faces. On one hand, their quick concern over the possibility of another storm did not leave either one with enough time to second guess how _good_ it felt to wake up in each other’s arms. On the other hand, this looked like it was going to be a serious storm.

“Tony, wha- what do we do? What if it’s ba- bad like the last storm? The boat’s so little, what’s gonna happen?” Peter’s voice was full of fear as he looked up at the storm-filled sky. Peter was suddenly quivering with nervous energy. He sat up, and looked like he want to jump to his feet, but he was unwilling to let go of his grip on Tony’s arm.

Tony’s mind was flashing through possibilities, almost faster than he could process them. He pushed himself up to his knees and pulled Peter close, gripping the boy’s biceps hard enough that Peter gasped and focused his attention on Tony. “Ok, Kid, I need you to focus. Are you with me?” Peter’s eyes still looked a little wild and he wasn’t answering, so Tony squeezed his arms a little harder. He wasn’t afraid of hurting him; but he needed to direct his energy away from being scared of the storm. He asked again, “Peter, are you with me?” Peter seemed to relax as he tightened his grip and his eyes focused on Tony’s gaze. 

“Yeah, Tony, I’m with you. What do you need me to do?” Tony immediately breathed a little easier. He knew that could have been much worse. Fuck, the kid was strong. 

“Ok, let’s just talk out the possibilities here. This could just be a short rain shower, and won’t cause us any trouble.” Peter snorted and gave Tony a _please-I’m-not-an-idiot_ look. Tony’s answering grin had no humor in it. “Or,” he continued, “this could end up as bad or worse than the storm that damaged the Lynx and we won’t stand a chance. Or it could fall anywhere in between.” Peter was quiet for a minute, shifting his gaze between Tony and the storm clouds overhead.

“What can we do then? Tony, I don’t want to be lost again. I can’t-” He cut off as Tony wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

“Shh, baby boy, I got you. We’re gonna get through this, we’re gonna be alright.” Tony pulled back to look into the teen’s eyes. “We’re gonna do this together, right? As long as we work together, we can do anything, right? Hey, Spiderman and Iron Man - we’re unstoppable, yeah?”

Peter sniffled a little before saying, “But we don’t even have our suits, how-”

“No Pete, we’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we? The suits don’t make us who we are. Who we are comes from here-” Tony tapped his fingers against Peter’s forehead, “-and here.” He pressed his palm over Peter’s heart. “Now. You tell me, kid. You're the one who paid attention to the captain's sailing lectures. What do we do if we're caught in a storm at sea?”

Tony watched the kid’s expression as he talked, trying to judge if he was going to be alright. He saw the panic fade away the longer he talked, until there was nothing but concentration on the boy's face. 

Peter leaned into Tony's hand against his chest and closed his eyes while he searched for the answer. “Captain Greene said never let the storm hit you from the side. Make sure your bow or stern keeps pointing towards the storm.” He stopped then, and Tony could watch thoughts and calculations run across the kid's face as he sorted information in his head, and he couldn't help but smile at how open Peter was; how delightful it was to watch his mind work, despite the danger of their current situation. “I thought maybe we should check the direction and decide whichever option keeps us moving the way we want to go, but Greene also said that smaller boats do better trying to run before the storm, rather facing into it. We're so small, it probably doesn't matter either way-" his voice broke a little at that thought, but he just looked at Tony for a minutes then gathered himself in and continued. “But we should still take every advantage we can think of.”

Peter stopped talking for a moment, looking at Tony with an expression the man couldn’t interpret. He leaned in quickly and kissed Tony’s cheek. “You always know the right thing to say. Thanks, Tony.” He stood then, blushing, and pulled himself out of Tony’s hands. “We should eat before things get too bad. We might not have time later.” 

Tony thought his heart might have actually stopped in his chest when those beautiful lips pressed against his cheek. _Fuck. Am I actually blushing? Oh god, Peter, what a beautiful mouth… NO! Do not go there, Stark, oh no, no, no, no…_

“Tony? ‘no’ what?” Peter was holding out one of the protein bars with a questioning look on his face.

Tony actually jumped when Peter said his name, and he realized at least one of the ‘no’s’ running through his head had been spoken out loud. “Ah, it's nothing, Pete. Just lost in my own thoughts, ruling out possibilities.” He shrugged and smiled as he accepted the bar.

Peter and Tony ate, drank all their water and took the time to refill all five bottles. Peter carefully packed the makeshift compass away with the other bottles; it wouldn't be needed as long as the storm was blowing. He then used some of the spare rope to weave a webbed net in the bow of the boat, creating a secure compartment that would hold the they most needed in case of the worst happening. With that done, they settled down as best they could to ride ahead of this storm. They worked together with sail and rudder to keep their stern facing the storm, and prayed to gods they may or may not believe in to keep them far enough ahead of any storm surge that might swamp their small boat.

They didn’t have any way of telling time, but it felt like hours had passed while Tony and Peter fought to keep the small boat pointed in the right direction and running in front of the storm. They were tired and hurt, covered in bruises and small cuts, but overall, they had been lucky so far. It was just chance that Peter happened to be looking back to check on Tony just before the wave crashed into them. “TONY! Look out!” Peter lunged for the man, grabbing onto one of the webbing straps of his life vest and holding on with all his enhanced strength as the wave hit. Water slammed into the little boat, and Peter felt his body being lifted away by the force of the wave. He stretched out his other hand to brush against the jury-rigged sail and his fingers scrabbled at the fabric, desperate to find something to grip. He thought he felt the edge of the canvas, and he closed his fist around it, struggling to draw Tony in closer and frantically hoping the the ropes and lashings were strong enough to withstand the storm and the added strain of Peter and Tony’s weight dragging against them. 

The wave continued past their little boat, and when they came down, Peter almost didn’t realize they were still in the boat. Tony, halfway in and halfway out, quickly pulled himself all the way back into the boat and grabbed Peter’s face between his hands. He looked hard into the boy’s eyes, and Peter just returned his stare, frozen in the moment, still a little overwhelmed by the fear that he might have lost Tony if he hadn’t grabbed him quickly enough. They snapped out of it when a smaller wave hit them, knocking them to their knees. And so they began working together to bail water out of their little boat. They were so focused on their task, that neither one noticed the next wave, larger than the first, until it swamped the little lifeboat, sending both castaways flying into the sea before either one could do more than suck in a breath to scream.


	10. Chapter 10

_“Tony.” There was a light touch on his shoulder shaking Tony awake. The light was bright in his eyes, and he wondered how he could have slept so long and still felt so tired._

_“Tony. C’mon, it's time to get up. I have to give you something.” Tony rubbed at his face and tried to clear the cobwebs from his mind._

_“Pete? What's going on, why’d you let me sleep so long?” Tony tried to stand, but the best he could manage was to pull himself up onto one of the lifeboat’s plank seats. Peter was still bent over him with one hand on his shoulder, and the other cradling a canvas-wrapped bundle under his arm._

_“Don’t worry about that, Tony. Listen I have to tell you something and it's important. Are you listening?” Peter waited for Tony to nod and continued, “It's not your fault.”_

_“What's not my fault? Kid it's too early for this, what the hell are you talking about?” Tony scowled up at Peter, the light still painfully bright in his eyes._

_Peter ran his fingers gently through Tony's hair before gripping his shoulder again. “You can't save me, Tony. But it's ok, it's not your fault. I don't blame you.” Tony's blood froze in his veins at those words._ What the hell! _His mind was screaming but his mouth couldn't form words. Peter smiled sweetly and held out the bundle. He laid it in his lap when Tony didn't reach for it. “You should take that back. It wasn't enough. It was never going to be enough.”_

_Those terrible words were spoken with all the love and tenderness that Tony ever dreamed of hearing from this beautiful boy, and they were killing him. Already knowing what he would find, Tony pulled back the canvas and saw Peter’s spider suit carefully folded inside. He looked up again, tears filling his eyes. “Peter. No, I'm sorry, so sorry, I'll make it better, I know I can, just give me time, please, don't go…”_

_Peter was crouching now, balanced on the bow of the lifeboat. “I'm sorry, Tony, it's too late, you can't save me.” Peter hesitated before continuing, “In case you need to hear me say it, I forgive you.” With that, Peter stood and let himself fall slowly back into the water. Tony gaped in horror at the spot Peter had been and lunged forward to try to catch him. It was far too late, and his hand closed on empty air. Looking down, Tony saw Peter blow him a kiss before he disappeared into the depths of the ocean. Tony screamed Peter's name and tried to leap into the water after him, but his feet stayed planted firmly in the lifeboat and everything started to go black. Tony kept screaming._

*****

The sun rose over the coral atoll for the first time in days. The unseasonably early storm had kept the small island covered in clouds and shadow for too long, and the native creatures were out in force, celebrating the return of light and heat and life to the island. Sea lions basked in sparkling white sand, calling to each other in soft, barking voices. Small crabs scuttled back and forth between the sand and sea. The skies were filled with the cries of seabirds; terns, shearwaters, petrels, noddies, and more all wheeled and dived over crystal-clear, blue-green water for fish, crabs, and other food. And out of place among all the other creatures, on the southeastern most tip of the island, a spider pulled himself out of the water and struggled to open his eyes and figure out where exactly he had landed.

 

Peter’s senses were in overload. He could feel every individual grain of sand as it shifted under him and clung to his skin. He could have counted the voices of each individual bird soaring overhead. His eyes were squeezed closed against the brilliant reflection of sunlight on the sand and sparkling over water that stretched to the horizon. The salt of the sea overpowered his taste buds, and he didn't think he'd ever stop tasting it again. The scent of the air was unlike anything he'd experienced before. It was fresh, new, and he couldn't really detect any of the smells that usually accompany human society. 

There was one word repeating over and over again in his mind. _Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony…_ He focused on that; he knew it was important and he needed something to help dial his senses back so he could focus on what came next, focus on finding- “Tony!” Peter shouted the man's name as he shot to his feet. A frantic search of the immediate area showed that he was alone. Peter expected to feel panic set in as he realized he was alone on the beach, but instead all he felt was an intense focus. He knew that could and probably would fall apart once he found Tony, but _finding Tony_ had to be the priority right now. 

From where he was standing, Peter could see the calm waters of a bay or harbor to his left, and the pounding surf of the ocean to his right. But the thing that really caught his attention was a stretch of pavement that seemed to run straight up the middle of the narrow island. If it was a road, there could be people at the other end who could help him find Tony, or help them contact someone at home. He debated which way he should go, and finally decided to follow the beach, afraid of Tony being injured and alone in the sand. He figured that if Tony had washed up on the same beach, then he had to be on the ocean side. So, Peter angled to the right and began walking, all senses on alert as he searched for his- for Tony. 

He didn't walk long before he heard the familiar voice shouting in pain and fear. He broke into a run, sprinting through the sand towards the sound. His heart was pounding when he came over a dune, and saw Tony curled on his side in the sand, one leg bleeding and tangled in a line that was still attached to what was left of their lifeboat. It was partly deflated and floating half in, half out of the water just beyond where Tony lay in the surf. 

“Tony! Tony? Are you ok? I'm here, we're ok, you're ok, oh thank God, we're safe…” Peter kept talking as he carefully removed the rope wrapped around his leg then quickly dragged the boat up out of the surf. Returning to Tony, he easily picked him up in his arms and cradled the man against his chest. Peter continued speaking comforting words while he walked, looking for someplace shaded and safe for them both to rest. He finally spotted a clump of brush growing higher than the surrounding bushes and made his way to the shaded side.

Tony had stopped shouting as soon as Peter picked him up, but he was still muttering unintelligibly under his breath while clinging on to Peter with both hands. When the teen tried to lay him down in the shade, he refused to let go of Peter's shirt, clinging desperately and crying out when the boy tried to pry his fingers away. Eventually, Peter just sat down cross-legged and held Tony in his lap.

“Tony,” Peter leaned in, speaking softly directly into the man's ear, “please wake up. I’m here, we're safe. At least I think we are. We washed up on an island and I don't know where we are. There's a road or something, so there must be people but I don't who or where they are. I'm scared, Tony, I thought I lost you and- and, I l-love you and I really wish you would wake up!” Peter eventually ran out of words and broke down himself. All the stress of the storm and his fear of losing Tony all hit him suddenly and he buried his face in Tony's hair, hugged the man closer, and let himself cry. 

Eventually, exhaustion won and Peter slumped over and fell asleep in the sand, Tony still held tight in his arms. It was the sound of the birds that woke him. Even though it had only been a handful of days since that first storm separated them from the Lynx, it felt like a lifetime since he had heard the sound of birds, and even if these were different than what he was used to hearing in New York, it was still familiar. Tony was stretched out next to him, one arm curled up over his face and the other thrown loosely around Peter while he slept. 

Relieved that the older man seemed to be sleeping peacefully, Peter sat up and finally removed the life vest that now felt swelteringly hot even when sitting in the shade. He unbuckled Tony's vest as well. Peter was torn as he watched the man's chest rise and fall with slow, easy breaths. He wanted to let him sleep, especially now that he no longer seemed trapped in a nightmare, but at the same time, Peter was desperate to talk to him, hear his voice, and confirm that he was alright. He gently pulled Tony's arm away from his face, and took advantage of the moment to place a brief kiss on his forehead, sure that Tony wouldn’t allow it once he was awake. Then, holding one of Tony's hands in his own, he started brushing Tony's hair away from his face while softly calling his name.

“Tony? Can you hear me? It's time to wake up, Tony.” Peter shook the man by the shoulder and kept calling his name. Tony woke abruptly, eyes wide and staring, frantically darting from side to side trying to take in his surroundings all at once.

He finally focused on the boy holding his hand and said, “Peter? Oh God, Peter, I thought you were dead.”

“No, Tony, I'm right h-”

Peter froze in shock as Tony sat up, pulled Peter in close with a hand on the back of his neck, and pressed their lips together. This was definitely not a friendly peck on the cheek, like Tony gave to almost everyone. And it was not a mentor showing affection for his protege, as Tony had been known to do with a casual touch or hug in the past. No, this was certainly something more, and Peter loved it. He melted into the older man's arms, whimpering his need against Tony's mouth. 

That small sound was enough to catch Tony's attention, and he quickly let go and pulled away from the teen. “Peter!” Tony gasped at what had just happened and jumped to his feet. “Oh God,” he said quickly, “I am so sorry! I shouldn't have- I mean, I would never-"

Peter stood as well, feeling suddenly bereft as Tony pulled away from him. He could barely process all he was feeling, and all he heard was Tony saying _”I would never.”_ His heart, light and soaring one minute, crashed and shattered at those words. Of course Tony would never want him, could never love him. He was only a child. “It’s ok, Mr. St-” Peter cut himself off, took a deliberate breath, and spoke again. “It’s ok, Tony. I understand.” He didn’t understand, not at all. If Tony didn’t want him, why did he kiss him like that at all? He said he thought Peter was dead. And then _that kiss._ Maybe Tony _did_ want him? Maybe he just didn’t _want_ to want him. Maybe he thought Peter was too young? Technically, Peter _was_ too young, at least back home in New York. There, he had almost a whole year before he reached the age of consent. But if they were in Hawaii, like they hoped to be, then Peter _was_ of age. He knew, because he checked before the cruise. Anonymously, from a school computer. Just in case. And besides, he didn’t think that they were considering enhanced superhumans who faced death on a daily- weekly- ok, maybe monthly- basis when they wrote those laws. Without the Iron Man suit, Tony literally couldn’t force Peter to do anything, and even then, Peter thought he might still be stronger. Peter felt a sense of resolve settle over him. Things might be different when they got home, but here, where there may not be another soul, he and Tony were forced to rely on each other and he thought it was a perfect chance to convince Tony that Peter was worth wanting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me start by saying thank you to everyone for joining me on this adventure! This is my first attempt at writing something just for the joy of writing it. I am having so much fun, and I really hope you are as well. I love your comments, so please keep telling me what you think!
> 
> So there are just a few things I wanted to mention at this point. First, the ship that this adventure started with is very loosely based on a real ship that you can really take educational cruises on to learn how to sail tall ships. You can check it out here if your interested: http://www.sailingshipadventures.com/index.cfm?event=GetVesselDetails&VesselID=132
> 
> The island that the boys have landed on is also based on a real place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kure_Atoll - I've taken some liberties in how it's portrayed, which I'm remembering as I'm writing this that I didn't get to in this chapter, so I won't say anything else now. If you read about the real island, I'm sure you'll figure out what I've done once I get there.
> 
> Finally, I feel the need to disclaim that I am for the most part completely making up anything scientific that I talk about. I know practically nothing about meteorology, marine biology, electronics and engineering, or any other scientific field that I touch on in this story. So if you know more than I do in any of these areas, then I apologize unreservedly, and beg your continued willing suspension of disbelief. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I love this chapter, but I had an awful block trying to get it started! Thank you so much for waiting, and I really hope you all like this one as much as I do.

Tony finally broke free of the darkness surrounding him, and struggled to focus on his surroundings. He was on land, that was obvious, but everything else was lost, consumed by the pain in his chest. It hadn't even hurt this badly when Steve had left him behind in Siberia. He heard someone calling his named, but all he could think of was his Peter, his baby boy who was-- _Who was right in front of him, safe and alive._

“Peter? Oh God, Peter, I thought you were dead.” Tony sat up and grabbed Peter by the neck, pulled him close, and kissed him. Oh god, Peter was alive and in his arms and it was all he ever dreamed. And then he heard Peter whimpering and quickly let him go, horrified by what he'd done. Tony jumped to his feet, stammering apologies. 

“It's ok, Tony.” But it wasn't ok. Peter's voice sound breathless and he looked broken. God, how could he have done this to the boy. Peter _trusted_ him, and Tony had violated that trust. He knew Peter would never want to have anything to do with him again. 

“Peter,” he began seriously, “I am truly sorry. I don't ever want to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. I'm the adult responsible for your safety and I should never have… done that.” Tony's face was flushed with shame, and he wanted so much to reach out and grab Peter and hold him until everything was right again, but he knew he couldn't do that. “I know this is a bad situation. We are gonna have to stick together until we get home, but I promise I'll leave you alone; I won't touch you again, and once we get out of this, then you don’t ever have to see me again.”

Something in Peter’s face changed as Tony spoke, and took on a resolved look like he had never seen before. When he opened his mouth to speak, Tony expected to hear a confirmation of how horrified he was and that he certainly would have nothing more to do with Tony once they returned. So what he actually heard shocked him to his core.

“God, Tony, for a genius you can be such an idiot. Would you just shut up and kiss me again?” With that, Peter cupped his hands around Tony’s face and gently pulled the man in for another kiss. Tony froze, unable to grasp what what happening. This wasn't what was supposed to happen was it? You're not supposed to fall in love with the teenager you're mentoring, and you're not supposed to forget yourself and kiss him, and he most certainly is not supposed to grab your face and kiss you back. But that's exactly what was happening and Tony just wasn't that strong. 

He surged forward and grabbed Peter, one arm tight around the boy's waist, and the other hand sinking into brown curls, rough with sand and salt water. Peter melted against him, and Tony moaned at the way their bodies seemed to fit together. He nipped softly at Peter's lower lip, and flicked his tongue along the seam of Peter's mouth, asking the teen to open and let him in. He did and gasped as Tony licked inside, dancing and teasing his tongue against Peter's, feeling like he would never get enough of the wet heat of the boy’s mouth.

When they finally separated, they were both flushed and breathless. Tony rested his forehead against the boy's and breathed, _“Peter,”_ like a prayer. He pulled back further to look the boy in the eyes, searching for his reaction, and more than a little afraid of what he would find there. Would Peter be angry? Or worse, afraid? To his immense relief, he saw nothing but bright-eyed happiness in the boy's gaze. “Oh, Peter. What just happened?”

Peter just laughed and said, “Something a long time time coming, Tony.”

Tony wrapped his arms tight around the boy and buried his face in the crook of his neck, kissed him there softly, once, and then just stood there, breathing the scent of Peter's skin, and reveling in the simple fact that he _could._ Peter returned the man's embrace and made no indication that he would ever want to let go.

Eventually, Tony had to pull back so he could look at Peter again. He gently touched the side of the boy's face, still a little unbelieving that Peter hadn't pushed him away in disgust. Honestly, he still felt those twinges of guilt and self-loathing deep inside himself. Should he stop this now, while he still could? Be the responsible adult he been pretending to be all along? He started to let go and step away, suddenly full of doubts, but Peter wouldn't let him go. 

The teen took him by the hand, interlacing their fingers, and bring his hand up, he proceeded to kiss each of Tony's fingers, just soft pecks laid on each knuckle. When he let go, he ran both of his hands up to fist into Tony's hair, and applied just enough strength to pull Tony in for another kiss, this time with Peter in control. Tony was a little surprised, and more than a little aroused by this display of strength, and when Peter finally let him go, he just stood there with a dazed expression on his face.

“Tony, I can see what you're thinking, and I'm telling you now, just stop. I want this. I want you. I have for years. There is no one else for me. But if you can honestly say that you don't want me too, then I'll let it go. But that's the only way I'm letting go, ok? You have to say it and mean it.”

Tony looked at Peter, searching his face and seeing only sincerity and affection there. He tried so hard to find the words that would push Peter away, that would let him do the right thing and not end up in a relationship with his underage intern. He just couldn't do it. “Fuck, Peter, I can't. I can't say that. I can't let you go.”

Peter smiled brilliantly at him and said, “You'll never have to. I've been yours for years. Only difference is now you know it.” He pulled Tony in for another kiss, slow and sweet and lingering. When he pulled away to look at Tony again, his eyes were bright and his cheeks were flushed and Tony thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.

“God, Peter, look at you--” Tony leaned in the kiss him again, but Peter suddenly stiffened and pulled back slightly. Tony started to panic, but the look on the boy’s face was still bright and excited. A little confused, Tony asked, “What is it, Pete?”

“I forgot, I forgot, I think there might be people here! The place where I washed up; I could see a road or something through the trees. C’mon!” Peter dashed away towards the direction of the pavement he had seen, and just as quickly turned and darted back to Tony’s side. He suddenly seemed very small as he slipped his hand into Tony’s, as if he wasn’t sure how the gesture would be received. But Tony didn’t hesitate to lace their fingers together. 

“You know the way, kid; lead on.” They walked together along the beach, following Peter’s footsteps. It hadn’t taken him long to spot Tony in the first place, so it wasn’t long before they could both spot the road through the brush. They picked their way through small trees and scrub bushes carefully, not wanting to get scraped, scratched, or stabbed by the vegetation. Eventually they were through and standing at the end of a wide, long paved area. In the distance, perhaps a mile away or even a little less, Tony could see what looked like houses or other low buildings. “Peter. This isn’t a road, kid. It’s a runway. This is an airport!” 

For just a moment, Tony looked excited, but as they both took in more details, it quickly became clear to them that this was not a functioning airport. The pavement of the runway was crumbling at the edges, tropical vegetation starting to push its way up through the cracks. As they got closer to the buildings, they realized it was really just one long structure along with a shed or pavilion that probably once acted as a hanger for the small planes that landed here. There didn’t appear to be much there now, just some long table scattered with junk. Tony did take a moment to poke through some of it, but he found nothing immediately useful. 

Together, they moved on to the larger building. Peter stuck his head carefully into the doorway and called out, “Hello?” The answering echo made it clear there was no one there, however. The place was almost completely bare. Whoever used it had stripped it when they left, with only the shell of the building remaining. Peter eventually noticed that Tony had a thoughtful look on his face; the one he got when he was sure he knew an answer but was searching for confirmation. “Tony?” he asked. “What is it? Did you find something?”

“Hmm? No, but I have some suspicions.” Tony was suddenly looking at him as if he just realized something. “Hey kid, get up on the roof, would you? Let me know what you can see.”

“Oh! Yeah, sure.” Peter darted back outside and was up on the roof faster than Tony could follow him out. It was a large building, and he was quickly out of sight as he moved across the rook to climb up the second story roof. From that perch, he could see that they were on a roughly triangle-shaped island, the runway running the length of one of the shorter sides. The long side faced in to the shallow basin of what appeared to be a coral atoll, based of half-remember geography lessons. There was a break in the reef along the southern edge and he could just make out the ocean surf roll in over the calmer water. He couldn’t be positive from that distance, but it almost looked like there was a shadow of a ship of some kind below the water. He quickly made his way back to Tony to describe what he had seen.

After listening to Peter’s description, Tony sat down and leaned back against one of the walls, lost in his own thoughts. Peter sat next to him and just let him think. He knew that the man share his conclusions once he reached them. At least, now he would. Peter knew that a month ago, Tony would have shrugged off Peter’s concerns as those of a child needing to be sheltered and protected. But had changed now. _Hadn’t it?_ Peter couldn’t help but wonder in the quiet of his own thoughts.

Tony noticed the increased tension in the boy sitting next to him and it broke him out of his own thoughts. “Pete? What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Oh nothing, I was just--” Peter broke off, not sure exactly how to express exactly what he was thinking about.

Tony watching him for a moment, waiting to see if he would continue. Then he reached and pulled him close, giving him a brief, but oh-so-sweet kiss. Then a grin crossed his face and he said, “Come here, you.” He wrapped his arms around Peter and with a quick twist, he had the boy suddenly sitting across his lap. They lost themselves in each other, then, hands moving everywhere, mouths pressed together desperately, like each was the air the other needed to breathe. 

They broke apart eventually, gasping and breathless and Tony said, “God, Peter, I-- What did I do to deserve you?” He looked at the boy like he was priceless, a treasure Tony hardly believed he was allowed to touch. 

Peter clung to the older man, blushing, and hid his face against Tony’s neck. “It’s the other way around, Tony,” he breathed, then kissed the man’s throat before he continued. “You- you’re everything, and I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

Tony chuckled, an easy, happy sound, and held the teen even closer as he said, “I guess we’ll have to admit that we’re both winning this one, then.”

They sat that way for a while longer before Peter lifted his head to look at at Tony and asked, “So what were you thinking? Do you recognize something? What happened to the people who used to be here? Why did they just abandon the place?”

Tony actually put his hand over Peter’s mouth to make him stop asking questions. He laughed, then kissed him, just a quick peck before he tried to answer, in order, “When I realized this was an airport, I started to suspect where we were. I do recognize it in fact. I’m 86% sure we’re on Green Island; a part of the Kure Atoll. Maybe 91%. 

“As for the people, this used to be a US Coast Guard station. It was decommissioned shortly after WWII and the only people who come here now are some group of environmentalists. I forget their name, but they come twice a year to survey the booby population or something. If I recall, they should have finished up their last survey last month. They probably won’t be back for four or five months.

“And for why, well, if I’m right, we’re not actually far from Midway Island, which is a more important strategic position. After the war, it didn’t make sense to maintain two bases so close together. This has actually been classified a wildlife refuge and off limits without special permissions. Technically we’re committing a felony just by being here.” Tony grinned a Peter before he said, “but don’t worry, I have all the best lawyers.”

Peter laughed at that. He knew they were never going get in trouble for where they washed up after being lost at sea. “So, how close is close to Midway?” he asked.

“Oh, well, it’s relative, you know? We’re a hell of a lot closer to Midway than we are to any other inhabited location. But it’s probably about 50, 60 miles. Too far to swim. But if we can figure a way to send a signal, it doesn’t have far to go.”

“Oh, there was a ship I think! I mean a wreck. On the reef; I forgot. But wait, why do you even know this stuff? All about Kure Atoll, I mean?”

Tony shrugged, “Oh, SHIELD had a file on the place. I never did find out what they thought was here, but they were looking for something back in the 70’s.”

Peter felt the hair on his arms raise whenTony mentioned SHIELD, but he relaxed after a moment. There was no SHIELD anymore, and if there was, they weren’t likely to be on this flyspeck of an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “Ok, so what’s next? How do we signal someone?”

“To start, kid, let’s divide and conquer. Think you can go back to the beach and bring the remains of the lifeboat up here? If any of the supplies and equipment survived, we’re gonna need it, and if we can get the thing floating again, maybe we can check out that wreck you spotted, if it’s not too deep.

“And while you’re gone, I’m gonna start going over this place with a fine tooth comb, and see if there’s here we can use. I’ll be in here somewhere, so just come find me when you get back.”

“Yeah, I can do that. Back before you know it!” Peter was up and almost out of the room, when he heard Tony calling him back.

“You forgot something, Parker,” Tony said with a slightly hurt tone in his voice.

Peter looked back quizzically, then grinned and ran back to Tony, pressing their lips together for a kiss. His heart fluttered in his chest at this evidence that Tony really did want him. “Forgive me, Mr. Stark,” he breathed against the man’s lips with a grin on his face, then he was gone, running down the runway back to the place he’d left the little lifeboat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized this morning that it has taken me a whole month to get through this chapter, and I'm so sorry! I sincerely hope you'll all think it was worth the wait. It's my hope to reach an ending point by the end of October. I say an ending, not the end, because I have ideas to continue this story, but I intend to start something new for National Novel Writing Month in November, and then I'll be working on another something new for the Iron Man Big Bang after that. Honestly, I have so many ideas about things I want to write that I hardly know where to start, but I hope you'll all follow along with me once I figure it out!

Peter made his way back to the lifeboat easily. Once there, he sat down in the sand and let his mind run back over the events of the last half hour. He ran his fingers lightly across his lips, marveling at what had happened here such a short time ago. He had dreamed about Mr. Stark-- Tony-- for so long, somehow managing to keep his feelings hidden, and never imagining that Tony might be doing the same. Peter stood up and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He’d sat there grinning like an idiot for long enough.

He picked over the remains of the little lifeboat carefully. On dry land, in the light of day, the thing was a wreck, and it was a wonder they had survived the open ocean in it. He was relieved to see that the lashing he had rigged to hold to water filter’s case in place under the nose of the little boat was still in place. It took a little effort to work the knots loose, but he did it, coiling the rope to take back with him. The jury-rigged mast and pontoons had been completely ripped away in the storm, though the little motor was somehow still firmly attached to the stern. Peter was sorry for the loss of the rope and canvas, but he was so relieved that the desalinator survived that the rest hardly mattered. Eyeing the remains of the boat, Peter calculated whether he’d be able to balance it on his own to bring it back to the terminal building. He finally decided that if he detached the little motor, he should be able to balance motor, case and boat all in one trip. He had intended to walk up the beach and see if anything else had been washed ashore, but his hands were pretty full and this point, and he couldn’t help but think that might be something nice to do with Tony later. So he arranged his load, and started retracing his steps back to the terminal building. 

~~~

Peter’s parting _“--Mr. Stark.”_ sent a flare of heat through Tony. He was certain that should not have been as arousing as it was. Even though it had in truth only been a few days since they had lost the Lynx, it felt like the kid had been calling him ‘Tony’ for years, and the unexpected formal address was a huge turn on. Tony groaned to himself as starting combing through the building. Without Peter’s reassuring presence, all his doubts started surging through him again. What the hell was he doing? Peter was just a kid, and Tony was three times his age. He wasn’t sure how things stood in Hawaii, but once they returned to New York, anything that happened between them would be very much illegal. If they were caught, Tony would go to jail as a sex offender who preyed on children. Being Iron Man would not help him then. And Peter’s reputation could be ruined. Anything he accomplished, everything he deserved would be tainted; people would forever claim that it had all begun because he’d slept with Tony Stark to get it. And Tony couldn’t let that happen, could he?

Tony ran his hands through his hair, and pushed his thoughts about Peter away. He had to focus on the present for right now. He’d figure out what to do about the boy and his completely wrong _(ohsoright)_ and inappropriate feelings later. Right now, he needed to focus on the current situation. There was something about this place that had attracted the interest of SHIELD, and while they may not be in the picture anymore, whatever they were looking for might still be here. At least, its recovery wasn’t recorded in the files he hacked. And if it was still here, maybe he and Peter could use this opportunity to find it. 

So he went room by room through the terminal building and found absolutely nothing. Every room had been stripped entirely. Even fixtures that had been bolted down had been unbolted and removed when the US military moved out. God forbid they leave anything behind the conservationists could make use of. Eventually, he left the terminal and made his way back to the hanger shed. It looked like they might have better luck out here; he could see piles of debris and discarded tools and materials all over the place. Of course, he didn’t have anything to use tools on yet, but that could change if they got lucky with one of the wrecks. He saw Peter returning from the end of the runway and watched in awe for a moment at the ease with which the kid handled the awkward load. 

“Hey Pete, need a hand?” He called out to the boy as he jogged down the runway to join him. He took the case and the motor from the boy, leaving him with both hands to juggle the awkward lifeboat, and was shocked by the weight of the motor. Peter made it look featherlight and the demonstration of the kid’s strength left Tony speechless for a few minutes. They carried their loads back to the open shed and set everything down to look over later. “See anything else while you were down there?” Tony asked.

“No, but I didn’t go very far up the beach. My hands were kinda full and I-- ah, Ithoughtwecouldwalktogetherlater.” The last all came out in one nervous rush and Peter looked up at Tony with a somewhat shy smile. 

Tony looked down at the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets. His body was stiff with tension and he said, “Look, Peter, I’m sorry, but I--” He cut off as Peter stepped close and kissed him. He didn’t otherwise touch the man, just pressed their lips together softly, almost chastely. Almost. The slightest flick of a tongue against Tony’s mouth, and his determination broke. He met Peter’s tongue with his own, moaning into Peter’s mouth as he wrapped his arms around the teen and held him close. 

Peter pulled away and peered closely at Tony’s face. When he spoke, there was a hint of wry amusement in his voice. “Let me guess. Soon as I walked away, you started second guessing yourself, and you were about to say something along the lines of how this was a mistake and you need to be the responsible adult for my own good, right?”

Tony lowered his head to rest on Peter’s shoulder, and his voice was muffled. “God, Pete, that fact that I have no resolve where you’re concerned doesn’t make that any less true.” He knew, _knew_ he should step away from the boy. He should end this now before it went too far, before either of them would be hurt too much. Problem was, he was pretty sure he was already past the point of no return. And faced with the reality of Peter in his arms, Tony couldn’t let go. 

Suddenly, Peter was pushing him backwards and before he knew what had happened, Tony was pushed up against the crumbling wall. Peter had one hand braced against the wall by his head and the other fisted into Tony’s hair, pulling him down into a fierce kiss. Tony gasped at the sudden thrill he felt at being _handled_ like this. Peter had the entire length of his body pressed against Tony, one leg wedged between Tony’s thighs, and Tony could feel the teen’s growing erection against his hip.

“Tony-” God, the kid was practically growling, and Tony had never felt so turned on. Peter kissed him again, tongue moving through Tony’s mouth like he was trying to memorize it. “Do you want me to stop? Could you make me if you did?” Tony almost couldn’t answer, wanting nothing more than to get his hands of every inch of the gorgeous boy in front him. But something in the boy’s voice stuck in Tony’s short-circuiting brain and he realized the question was important. 

“Never want you to stop, kid. But yeah, course I could make you.” Peter smiled then and dropped his head to kiss the the base of Tony’s throat. He moved slowly upward, kissing, licking, nibbling his way along Tony’s neck until he reached the spot just below his ear. 

He pressed his lips close to the man’s ear and whispered, “What makes you so sure?”

Tony could see the point the boy was trying to make and he answered honestly, “I’d just have to say so, baby boy.”

Peter hummed in agreement and pulled back far enough to look at Tony. His smile shifted into something closer to a smirk before he said, “And if our positions were reversed--” and suddenly, they _were_ reversed. Peter grabbed Tony by the front of his shirt and spun them around so Peter was the one with his back to the wall. He hitched one leg up and wrapped it around Tony’s hip, keeping them flush together before he continued, “--do you have any doubt that I could stop you if I wanted?”

Tony’s head was spinning faster than his body was at this point. But he understood the point Peter was making. Tony literally could not make the kid do anything he didn’t want to do. Two years ago, he had found a video of the kid catching a 3000 lb car hurtling at him at 40 m.p.h., and the display of strength had been so fucking sexy, before he had known it was a 14 year old boy behind the mask. After he knew, it was still fucking sexy, but he didn’t admit it to anyone, not even himself. 

His attention was drawn back to the present by the desperate little mewling sounds Peter was making while he ground his hips forward against Tony, seeking any friction he could get. God, Tony had barely touched him yet, and the kid already looked wrecked; head thrown back; eyes closed; cheeks flushed with arousal. His long neck was stretched out in front of him, practically begging to be kissed, to be marked. Tony gave up his doubts and uncertainties, gave in to the desire he'd hidden for years. He lowered his mouth to Peter’s ear and growled, “You’re mine now, baby boy. Never letting you go.” He nibbled and sucked on the boy's earlobe then let his teeth and beard scrape down the long line of that perfect, creamy neck.

Peter gasped at the sensations suddenly overwhelming his senses. “God, Tony! Ah, shit!” Teeth on his neck nearly undid him right there, and his earlier confidence vanished. He buried his face against Tony's neck, afraid that for all his boldness, the man would realize that he didn't really know what he was doing.

Tony quickly sensed the change in the boy's demeanor. He pulled away slowly and Peter followed, trying to keep his face hidden, his fists clutching frantically at the front of Tony's shirt. “You ok, Pete? What's wrong, honey?”

Peter's voice was shaky as he replied, “N-nothing wrong, it's just-” He lifted his head to look at Tony, and seemed reassured by whatever he saw in Tony's expression. “-senses dialed to eleven, you know?”

And Tony did understand. This was crazy, intense, and powerful for him, and the kid felt everything _more_. “Shhh, it’s ok, baby boy. Just tell me what you need. Do you wanna stop? We don’t have-”

“NO!” Peter’s shout was desperate. “No, please, please Tony, don’t stop-”

Tony kissed him then, cutting him off mid-sentence. He pressed himself close against the boy, wanting him to feel all of Tony there, holding him, covering him, caring for him, loving him. He moaned into their kiss as he felt Peter relax against his body. He wrapped one hand in Peter’s hair and tilted his head, stretching his gorgeous neck out again. This time, he only used his lips, pressing soft kisses down the line of his throat, stopping over his pulse to lick and suck a bruise that would probably fade within hours. 

Peter made soft, sweet little mewls and whimpers as Tony’s mouth moved along his neck and those sounds burned a line of fire straight to Tony’s cock. He trailed a line of kisses along the boy’s jaw and said, his voice sounding rough in his own ears, “Tell me if it’s too much, Pete.”

Peter nodded and buried his face against Tony's neck, hesitantly mirroring the older man's actions, placing light, burning kisses all along his throat. Peter's actions grew more confident as Tony moaned encouragement in his ear. The boy let his hands roam anywhere he could reach over Tony’s body, curious and and exploring.

Tony groaned when one of Peter's hands slid up under the hem of his shirt, the light touch like fire against his skin. He let go and pulled away just enough to pull both his and Peter's shirts off and toss them aside. Then he wrapped the boy in his arms again, kissing down his neck and along his collarbone. “God, Peter, you're beautiful and so damn sexy.” He pushed the teen back up against the wall and kissed him, sucking gently on his bottom lip, while he slid his hands slowly, but firmly down the front of Peter's body. The feel of Peter's muscles flexing under hot skin left Tony gasping into the boy's mouth. He curled his fingers inside the waistband of Peter's jeans and asked, “This ok, baby boy?”

Peter looked down to see Tony’s hands dipping into his pants and once again thought he might come on the spot with nothing more than the sight alone. “It’s so ok, Tony, please- I need-” 

“Shhh, it's ok, baby, I've got you” Tony spoke soothingly against Peter's mouth while worked the buttons open. Another time, Tony knew he would want to take his time, stretch this out as long as he could, enjoying every pleading whimper he could draw from the teen. But that could come later, preferably when they had a big, comfortable bed at hand. Now, Tony gently pushed Peter's jeans and boxers together down over his hips, carefully freeing his cock from its constraints. Tony kneeled in front of Peter as pushed the continued pushing his pants down. 

Peter looked down at wide-eyed and open-mouthed, “Pl-please, Tony!” he gasped, stuttering a little and unable to stop his hips pushing forward towards the older man. 

Tony grinned, and ran his hands up Peter's thighs to rest on his hips, pushing him back and pinning the boy to the wall. “I want you to come in my mouth, Peter” Tony said and before the boy could respond, Tony took was moving, drawing Peter's leaking cock into his mouth. 

Tony looked up to watch Peter's reaction and moaned around him as he saw the teen’s eyes roll back, his lashes fluttering against his cheeks. His hands clenched on air and Tony had to lean into him to keep him pressed to the wall. He let go with one hand to grasp Peter's and guided it to the back of his own head. Peter's other hand sunk into Tony's hair as well, and he didn't push or pull against him, but only held on, pulling Tony's hair just a little.

Tony moaned again, deeper this time, wishing the boy would pull harder, but not wanting to let go long enough to say so. He continued to work his mouth over Peter's cock, pulling him him until he hit the back if his throat, sucking hard as he pulled off again, twirling his tongue around the tip then pulling him all the way in again. It wasn't long before Peter was letting out a constant stream of “oh fuck, Tony, fuck, fuck, fuck…”

As the pitch of Peters cries rose and he tasted more and more salty-bitter-sweet precome on his tongue, Tony felt his own cock pressing uncomfortably against the front of his pants. He let go of Peter again and used one hand to undo his pants, pushing them down just enough free his own hard and leaking cock. Rubbing his palm over the head to slick his palm, he began stroking himself while he continued moving over Peter.

Tony sensed that Peter was right on the edge, so he drew in a deep breath and drove himself down until his nose was pressed right up against the soft curls at the base of the teen's cock. Tony had earned his playboy reputation over the course of two decades, and his gag reflex was a thing long gone. He swallowed around Peter while he slid his free hand down to grasp Peter's balls, tugging lightly and reaching one finger back to rub over his perineum. And then Peter was shouting his name and his hands clenched tightly in Tony's hair, holding him in place as he spilled his release down Tony's throat. The sharp pleasure/pain of his hair being pulled was enough to send Tony over the edge a moment later, shouting around Peter's still twitching cock sending a shiver of aftershock through the sensitive teen. 

Peter let go of Tony's hair, and he pulled off of him, sucking lightly as he did and grinning at Peter's gasp. Tony closed up his own pants and gently helped Peter pull his back up as he stood. Tony then wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close and pressing kisses into his hair. Peter slumped into his embrace and let his head fall against Tony's chest. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling of holding each other. 

Tony was the one to break the silence, tipping Peter's face up to kiss him lightly then asked, “Alright, Peter?” 

Peter returned the kiss, sucking lightly on Tony's lip before he answered, “Incredible, Tony. I-” He ducked his head, blushing, but made himself look back up at the older man. “We can do that again, right?” 

Tony tightened his embrace and laughed softly, his heart light in his chest as he said, “Whatever you want, baby boy, whatever you want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please come follow me on tumblr: http://aoifelaufeyson.tumblr.com/


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